


Kitten' around

by Nautika



Category: Daredevil (TV), The Punisher (TV 2017)
Genre: Attempt at Humor, Foggy is a long suffering friend, Foggy is so done, Gen, Matt finds a kitten, Matt misses Frank
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-28
Updated: 2020-08-28
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:48:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,126
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26162896
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nautika/pseuds/Nautika
Summary: For the prompt "Kitten" by brandywine421.Matt finds a kitten at a murderscene. Foggy just wants one evening without the urge to slam his head into a wall.
Relationships: Matt Murdock & Frank Castle (mentioned), Matt Murdock & Franklin "Foggy" Nelson
Comments: 7
Kudos: 46
Collections: Daredevil and Defenders Exchange 2020





	Kitten' around

**Author's Note:**

  * For [brandywine421](https://archiveofourown.org/users/brandywine421/gifts).



“That’s a cat,” Foggy said. “Why do you have a cat?”

Matt shook his head. “That’s Frank.”

Foggy eyed the kitten on Matt’s couch. Its long fur was as white as the freshly fallen snow outside of New York City might be, and its light blue eyes blinked curiously at him. The tip of its tail brushed gently against Matt’s hand. 

“That,” Foggy said, “is a cat. A kitten, to be exact.”

“It’s Frank.” Matt insisted. 

“You named it _Frank_ , like, you-know-who?” Foggy could hardly believe his ears. Who would do that to an innocent little kitten?

But Matt just sighed. “No, this  _ is _ Frank. This is Frank Castle, the Punisher.”

“Did you hit your head again?” Foggy asked, squinting and already looking for his phone to call Claire. 

Matt smiled a little. “Fog, I’m not concussed. Frank got himself turned into a cat. I’m sure of it.”

The kitten meowed. 

Foggy stared. “What do you mean, you’re sure of it? You were there? Are you alright?”

“I’m fine, and no, I wasn’t there,” Matt said. “Look, I went to beat up some mobsters, but when I got there, most of them were shot and bleeding out on the floor, and Frank here sat on his gun. Obviously, I couldn’t leave him there, so here we are.”

Foggy kept staring. “Matt. My buddy. My pal. My guy. You think this cat is Frank because it _sat on a_ _gun_?”

“Yes.”

Foggy exchanged a look with the kitten, who busied itself with licking a tiny paw.

He sighed. “It’s not that I don’t believe you - but for the record, I don’t - it’s more like… this is a cat. Frank Castle is, obviously, not a cat. So why…?”

“Eh, that’s simple,” Matt said. “Magic.”

“Magic.”

Matt nodded.

Foggy pinched the bridge of his nose. “Magic. I mean, I know of Doctor Strange and stuff like that, but why would anyone turn Frank Castle into a kitten?”

Matt shrugged. “Don’t know. But it’s him.”

“How can you be so sure?”

Matt opened his mouth.

“And don’t say because it  _ sat on a gun _ ! _I_ could sit on a gun _right now_ and wouldn’t be Frank freaking Castle!”

Matt closed his mouth again. He shrugged. “Don’t know. Feels like him. Like… feral.”

The kitten mewed, started trying to catch its tail, and promptly fell off the couch.

“Yes, I can totally see it, now that you’ve mentioned it,” Foggy deadpanned. “Alright, say I believe you - which I don’t - have you contacted Strange yet? If the cat is Frank - which it isn’t - then I’m pretty sure he’d want to get changed back.

Matt squirmed.

Foggy sighed. “You haven’t. You think Frank is adorable like that and are afraid he’d try to shoot you again.”

“You know me so well, Fog,” Matt smiled. 

“Yes, and shut up. Look, is there any evidence besides the cat sitting on a gun that this could be Frank?”

“Well, why would a small kitten be there, if it wasn’t to murder them all?”

Foggy nodded. “Fair point, but that doesn’t prove anything. As far as I know, cats are ready to commit homicide at all times." 

“Alright, look at this,” Matt said, and turned to the Kitten. “Heeere Frankie Frankie Frankie!”

The kitten’s ears twitched. Matt turned back to Foggy, triumphant.

Foggy looked unimpressed. “If that was Frank, he’d have clawed your face by now. Even _I_ would have.”

“Okay, so, what about that: I’ve tried calling his phone, but he didn’t answer. There.” Matt crossed his arms. 

Foggy threw his arms in the air. “You’re a lawyer, Murdock! You know that doesn’t prove that this cat is the Punisher!”

The kitten in question, meanwhile, padded into the kitchen, wriggled its butt in front of the sink and tried jumping on the counter. Foggy watched as the tiny cat didn’t quite make the jump, and instead settled for mewling on the floor. He sighed. Frank or not Frank, the kitten was thirsty, so Foggy gave it a bowl of water.

The kitten lapped at it, satisfied, and let itself be carried back to the couch.

“Look, Matty,” Foggy said. “I know you miss Frank and-”

“What? I do  _ not  _ miss Castle!” Matt growled. The kitten hiccuped. 

Foggy licked his lips, petting the kitten. “Of course you do. Ever since he told you he had to go and leave the city for some time, you’ve been pining. And that’s totally fine! I mean, I don’t get it, it’s the Punisher, after all… but it’s fine. And the real reason you’re not calling Doctor Strange right now is because you  _ want  _ this cat to be Frank, and you’re afraid Strange will tell you that it’s just that: a normal cat.”

Matt hung his head. “You’re probably right. I’m an idiot, but I just… I do miss him. And when I noticed the cat, covered in blood and hissing like mad at the remaining mobsters, I don’t know, it just clicked. I went home with him, bathed him and yeah.” He sighed. “But you’re right, it probably is just a normal cat.”

Foggy nodded. “Yes, and a cat looking like that, someone is bound to miss him. It’s obviously not a stray, it’s too well fed and its fur is too shiny. Sooo….”

“....so it would be better to bring him to a shelter, so that the people who own him can find him, I know,” Matt mumbled. 

Foggy smiled. “Yes. And if you really want a cat, I’m sure we’ll find you one at the shelter, alright? The shelter will also make sure that this cat gets its vaccines. Come on, let’s get it over with and - oww!”

Foggy yelped and stood up, holding his bleeding hand where the kitten’s tiny teeth had teared into it. Matt was also on his feet, trying to catch the cat, who made a break for the halfway open roof access, but before he could catch it, the kitten vanished into the night.

Stunned, the two friends turned to each other.

After a short time of silence, Foggy went to clean up his hand. The kitten’s tiny teeth hadn’t left much damage, thankfully. 

Matt followed him to the sink and leaned against it. “You know, I’m an idiot, really.”

“Oh? Why this time?” Foggy asked, amused. 

Matt glared. “Shut up. But… it was a kitten.”

“So?”

“Frank is an adult man. If he were to get turned into a cat, it would be a big tomcat. Not a kitten.”

Foggy smiled. “There’s the analytical lawyer I know. Let’s get a beer. Kitten was feral after all, I’m sure it’ll be fine in the city.”

Matt laughed. “You’re right, of course.”

Three blocks away, a newly human Frank Castle coughed up a hairball.


End file.
